Open Circle
by sandersonsister
Summary: Oikawa really didn't expect to be an omega. He did, however, expect to be with Iwaizumi for the rest of his life, so that was okay. But, apparently that wasn't enough. And there's a cute first-year from Karasuno that interests him... Part 2 in Circle Universe
1. Surprise!

Oikawa had been just as shocked as everyone else when he presented as an omega. He was tall, taller than many of the alpha's he knew. He wasn't quiet. He wasn't submissive. He was loud, aggressive, and, frankly, not nice. Oh, he was good at fooling people, but once you got to know him, well…

There was a reason his best friend always referred to him as crappy.

He knew it. It was a character flaw that he was well aware of. He was selfish. He really didn't like it when anyone was better than him. He wanted to be the best, deserved to be the best. If he wasn't, he failed. And failure wasn't an option for him.

So, when he began to present during volleyball practice at the end of his second year of high school, his friends and family weren't the only people shocked.

The one thing that didn't shock anyone was the fact that he had instantly clung to Iwa-chan. Iwaizumi Hajime had been his best friend since they were children and Oikawa honestly couldn't imagine being without him. Oh, he knew he had feelings for his best friend, feelings that went way beyond platonic, but he figured he had plenty of time to deal with that later. For now, there was volleyball. And his hoards of fans that were oh so very tempting. Even if he agreed to go out with them on occasion, whether they be alpha, beta, or omega, he never let things get too far and made it perfectly clear that he hadn't presented yet, so there would be no mention of courtship.

He really hadn't worried when all of his friends began to present and he still hadn't done so. _Yes_ , he knew that technically omegas presented later than alphas and betas. _Yes_ , he knew that the fact he hadn't presented in junior high or during his first year of high school showed that he had a higher chance of being an omega. _But_ he didn't fit in with the other omegas. Even friends had joked with him about it, that the great Oikawa Tooru would one day present and be an omega. But no one had _actually_ believed it.

Yet that was exactly what happened.

His parents had been shocked when Iwaizumi had brought him home and pushed him into his mother's arms. His fathers, two alphas, had instantly moved forward to block the doorway, keeping Iwaizumi out of the house for the first time in his life. His second mother, a beta, had pulled out blankets and pulled open doors as his mother had drug him toward his bedroom. It wasn't an easy task, as Oikawa was bigger than her and calling out to a fuming alpha.

It had been painful. Very painful. And very, very annoying. He wanted Iwa-chan and his parents had told him over and over again that Iwa-chan couldn't be there. He didn't like that. He had, in his haze, forced himself out of the bed and moved toward the door before his mother had caught him, pulling him back toward the bed. He had fought against her, easily overpowering the much smaller omega, but his mom had stood in front of the door, shouting for help. His mother grabbed his waist, attempting to drag him back, while his mom had pushed against his chest. When his father appeared, a scowl on his face and thunder in his voice, Oikawa had relented and allowed himself to be moved back toward the bed.

The crash downstairs and a shout from his dad had been enough for his father to disappear once again and Oikawa was sure he heard shouting. After a few moments, there was the silence and Oikawa finally let his mother hold him to her. He breathed in deeply and relaxed at the familiar smell. He stayed there until the pain finally ended and he fell asleep.

He slept for almost sixteen hours and when he woke, he found the source of the commotion he had heard. Iwa-chan, who had showed considerable control in getting Oikawa back home when he began to present, had snapped and attempted to get to the newly turned omega. His mother informed him that it had happened when Oikawa had called out to the alpha and tried to escape his room to get to him. No alpha would have been able to fight the urge after that and they didn't blame Iwaizumi for breaking the door, but Iwaizumi had yet to make a reappearance after he left that night.

Oikawa rolled his eyes at this information. The alpha should have been at the house when Oikawa woke, not sulking for something he couldn't control! He scowled and informed his mothers that he would be going to Iwa-chan's house. Neither had seemed really surprised and just told him to make sure he rested while he was there.

Iwa-chan's mother let him in easily enough, giving him a tight hug and telling him that her "grumpy son" was in his room. Oikawa's eyes narrowed at this information. "Iwa-chan! If you weren't going to be there when I woke up, you should have been at practice!" Oikawa complained as he moved into his best friends' room, throwing himself on the bed. He ignored the wide-eyed look said friend wore as he snuggled into the bed, breathing in the musky scent and mixing it with his own. "What are they going to do without their captain and vice-captain?!"

"They have coach," Iwaizumi replied as he quickly closed out of the tab he had opened on his computer. Oikawa felt his eyes narrow in response. What was Iwa-chan hiding from him? "Why are you here?" Iwaizumi asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he turned to face him fully.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Was Oikawa's typical response.

"You should be at home, resting! Crappykawa!"

"I can rest here," Oikawa responded, rolling his eyes at the furious glare he received. He waved his hand unconcernedly. "I'm fine, Iwa-chan. My mom's wouldn't have let me out if I wasn't!"

The words did seem to appease Iwaizumi somewhat but that glare was still fixed. "Seriously, Oik-"

"Iwa-chan, can you get me some water?" Oikawa asked, turning his head so his voice was muffled by the pillow he was scenting. "My throat is sore. Probably from all the yelling."

The words were enough for Iwaizumi to stand and make his way swiftly out the door. Oikawa waited for him to turn the corner and jumped to his feet. He hurried toward the laptop and maximized the browser his friend had been trying to hide.

 _Presenting as an Omega_

 _How to care for your Omega_

 _Connected before presenting?_

Well, well. Interesting. Oikawa quickly minimized the tabs once more, siding back onto the bed. Iwaizumi was back only second later, placing a glass beside the bedside table. "Thanks, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa chirped. He sat up slowly, making sure Iwaizumi could see just how sore he was, and reached for the glass. He drank deeply, finishing the water, and let out a deep sigh as he replaced the glass on the table. "That's better."

"Did your moms have a bath ready for you when you woke?" Iwaizumi asked gruffly, his eyes flickering toward the computer.

Oikawa smiled brightly, "Of course! But it will probably be a few days before I really feel like normal. And mom said something about my heat starting sooner than usual because of…well, I'll need to complete the first bond quickly," Oikawa informed him, studying the alpha's face carefully.

But Iwaizumi had been Oikawa's best friend for years and he knew how to avoid that look. He turned his head, digging through his desk drawer. "Ah, really? Will it be before the term ends?"

Oikawa almost growled in annoyance. "No, it can wait until the end of term. It's only a couple of weeks, anyway."

"Then I suppose you should focus on exams," Iwaizumi responded, finally finding what he was looking for. He tossed it to Oikawa, who caught it on instinct. "Here."

Oikawa glanced down. What was… he yelled out, dropping the box he had in his hand. "Iwa-chan! Why do you have birth control pills?!"

Iwaizumi laughed loudly, wrapping his arms around his stomach and shaking as he tried to catch his breath. Oikawa scowled in response. There was no reason for Iwaizumi to have those! He hadn't been courted by anyone, though Oikawa knew there were some omegas that had asked for his consideration. And Iwaizumi wasn't the type to…

Right?

He scowled fiercely at the box sitting on the bed and he felt an odd sensation in his chest. His inner omega was howling angrily and his blood was boiling. "Iwa-chan! Answer me!"

Iwaizumi's laughter finally began to fade and he wiped the tears from his eye as he looked toward the fuming omega. "Oh, calm down. My sister gave them to me when I presented years ago. Something about not wanting me to 'fall for those evil omega tricks' and be 'forced into a circle'. They haven't been touched and I forgot about them until now."

Oikawa's glare intensified as he stared down at the package. He should have known. There was a reason he never got along with Iwa-chan's sister. With two fingers and a look pure disgust, Oikawa picked up the box and dropped it into the trash beside the bed.

At least it hadn't been opened. Oikawa would have come unglued if it had.

He looked up just in time to see Iwaizumi rolling his eyes and muttering the words "drama queen" under his breath, but the smile was still on his face. "Iwa-chan!" Oikawa whined with his nose scrunched up. "That was mean!"

Iwaizumi shrugged his shoulders as he smirked, "I thought they might be needed."

Oikawa didn't reply. He knew the alpha was trying to avoid talking about Oikawa needing to bond and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Did Iwaizumi not want to be his alpha? Or was he just not ready to talk about it yet? He had never been good with confronting things like this.

"Mom already gave me some," Oikawa replied lightly, smirking internally when he saw the flash of irritation that flickered across the alpha's face. "Just in case, you know?"

"I'll kill you," Iwaizumi responded so seriously that Oikawa actually flinched back slightly.

The omega shook it off and grinned, "Ah, Iwa-chan! I knew you cared!"

"Shut up, crappykawa."

The team stared at him when he finally reappeared for practice. He flashed them all a grin and peace sign, earning loud groans in response. "Well, at least we know he's okay," Makki muttered.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or if I should be disappointed," Mattsun responded.

"Hey! I can hear you!" Oikawa pouted. The two in question turned their backs, continuing with practice. Oikawa scowled at them but didn't have a chance to say anything before he felt something slam into the back of his head. "Ouch! Iwa-chan!"

"You're the one that said we had to start getting ready for next year," the alpha said, walking toward the court and away from the omega, "stop wasting time."

Oikawa huffed and moved toward the court, overtaking the alpha. He sent a haughty glare behind him and received an eye roll in return. "Okay, let's start!"

The end of the term went by quickly between class and practice. They would be getting a new set of players in the new term and Oikawa was wondering if any of his kohai would be joining them. There were a few he was hoping would…and one he was hoping had the brain to stay far away. But Kageyama Tobio wasn't known for his brain and Oikawa was hoping coach had taken his thoughts into account and hadn't offered the boy a place on the team. He doubted Kageyama could get into the school based on exams.

His parents asked him frequently if he had made any plans to forge a bond. He changed the subject as often as possible but, when that didn't work, he always just flashed a smile and said he was talking to someone. It wasn't true. Not really. There had been many, many alpha's that had come up to him the past couple of weeks. More letters were left in his locker now than he had ever had before – and that was saying something. But he wasn't interested. There was only one alpha he was interested in, one person that he thought he could be with. One person that would put up with him.

But that alpha made it very clear they weren't going to talk about it.

After the first failed conversation, Oikawa had tried to bring it up in multiple ways, but Iwaizumi always found some way of either distracting the omega or flat out refusing to speak. But, as the last day of the term was finally here, it really couldn't be ignored any longer. Oikawa would never admit it, but he was terrified. His heat, his first heat, should hit around the end of the week and if he hadn't bonded…

Well, he was fairly sure his fathers and mothers wouldn't be able to stop what was sure to happen.

Maybe he should have considered someone else. He hadn't felt that…connection all the books talked about, not with anyone except Iwaizumi, but if the alpha wasn't interested… His omega probably wouldn't focus on anyone else unless Iwaizumi flat out refused him. Which the alpha hadn't done. It was enough to still give Oikawa some hope but he knew Iwaizumi. He knew that the alpha ignored things he didn't want to discuss. Oikawa just wasn't sure if him ignoring it was a good or bad thing.

Which is why Oikawa was sitting on Iwaizumi's bed, his eyes drilling into the alpha on the last day of their second year. Said alpha was staring back, his arms crossed over his chest. "What do you want?"

Oikawa took a deep breath. There wasn't any other way of doing it. If Iwaizumi was going to refuse him, he needed to do it properly or things were going to get really bad really fast. "I am requesting that you formally bond with me," he rushed, willing his eyes to stay focused on the alpha and not glance down.

It was a good decision because he got to watch as Iwaizumi's jaw dropped open and his eyes grow wide. "I – wha- OIKAWA!"

Well, that wasn't the reaction he wanted. Shouldn't he see some sort of happiness or amusement in the very least? But the complete shock…was it really that much of a surprise? "I need to you either formally accept or decline," he continued though even to his own ears his voice had grown hollow. His chest felt tight and he vaguely wondered when he had swallowed a volleyball. Wait…you couldn't swallow a volleyball…that wasn't possible…

"Oi! Wh- why the hell are you crying?!" Iwaizumi demanded, jumping out of his chair and falling to his knees beside the bed. He grasped Oikawa's hands in his own and Oikawa tried to pull away. No, no if he was going to deny the offer than he couldn't…

"You idiot," Iwaizumi snapped, keeping a firm hold on Oikawa's hands. He pulled harshly, making Oikawa fall forward with a yell. He landed against the others chest and those hands finally let him go momentarily, only to come back to rest against his back as the alpha's arms held him in place. "Tooru, you are such an idiot. I'll never know how someone as intelligent as you can be such a moron."

Oikawa fought to pull free but he knew it was useless. Iwaizumi might be shorter than him but he was definitely stronger. "Iwa-chan!"

"Stop crying," the alpha demanded, his breath tickling against Oikawa's ear. The omega felt himself slump forward in response even as his mind screamed at him to pull away. "God, you're an ugly crier."

Oikawa snarled and began to fight for freedom once more. What the hell did he mean by that?! That wasn't a proper denial! He didn't manage to break the grip on his arms but Iwaizumi let him go willingly after a moment, his hands moving to grab Oikawa's shoulders and grip them tight as he pushed the omega back so he could stare him in the eye. "Listen to me!" Oikawa ignored the order, struggling to shake off the grip. "Dammit Tooru! I accept!"

Well, that worked.

Oikawa felt his entire body freeze as he stared at the dark eyes in front of him. He moved his gaze away, flickering over the alpha's face for any sign of deception. "Wh – you – really?"

The responding eye roll was impressive. Oikawa briefly wondered if Iwaizumi was trying to find his brain back there but he wasn't able to voice the question before the alpha nodded his head. "Yes, you idiot. Did you actually think I would say no?"

Oikawa finally managed to pull away and Iwaizumi's arms dropped to his sides. "You – I tried to talk to you but you wouldn't answer! I had to know so I could-"

He broke off as a loud growl interrupted him. His shoulders tensed at the sound. "So you could _what_ , Tooru?"

"Uh," he swallowed hard at the danger signs the alpha was giving off, "well, if you didn't want to… I would need to…"

A snarl. "And who, exactly, were you planning on asking next?"

Oikawa scowled defensively, "Hey! You can't be mad at me! I tried to talk to you and you didn't answer! If you weren't going to accept, I would have to find someone who would!"

The two glared at each other in silence, Iwaizumi clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Oikawa pursed his lips as the glare intensified. Idiot alpha, getting mad over something that hadn't even happened. If he had just talked to Oikawa in the first place, none of this would have even come up! There was no reason for him to be angry! Oikawa was the one who should be angry!

"I already talked to my dad," Iwaizumi finally spat out, "he is taking my moms out for a few days. They're leaving Monday. And my sister will be with her newest…friend."

Oikawa's mouth dropped. Iwaizumi had already planned on them…? "You – you already?"

"Such an idiot," Iwaizumi muttered once again, getting to his feet and stomping back toward his desk chair. "I can't believe I'm willingly tying myself to you for the rest of my life."

Oikawa beamed. "Oh, Iwa-chan, we're going to have so much fun!" He stood from the bed and threw himself at the alpha, not even commenting when Iwaizumi started yelling as the chair tipped backwards and they landed, hard, on the floor.

His parents weren't exactly surprised when he told them that he would be spending the next few days at Iwaizumi's house. Actually, they all smiled and informed him that they were planning on remodeling a few things in his room, while he was gone, so it would be more comfortable if the alpha wanted to stay over. Oikawa felt himself flush at the words.

He blushed even harder when his mom reminded him to take his pill before "anything happened" as they didn't want a "repeat".

Stupid sisters and their stupid 'accidents'.

It wasn't his fault she forgot to take her birth control and she and her mate had ended up as parents before they graduated.

He didn't always have to be compared to her.

Still, one of the first things Oikawa did when he got to his room was set a reminder on his phone to go off every morning at 6 am. He was just being proactive! It wasn't like he was worried that he would forget one morning when he was stressed about school, or volleyball, or…anything else.

It was just a precaution.

Stupid sisters.


	2. Karasuno

Oikawa was ecstatic. He and Iwaizumi had spent all of break together, their bond was buzzing happily along in his head, the new term had started, and – Kageyama Tobio was not, repeat NOT, one of the new first years. He couldn't be any happier.

Well, he might be a little happier if that annoying pulling sensation would disappear, but he decided to happily ignore it until it faded!

There was no point in worrying about it.

He trained hard, staying after practice each day and making sure that he was learning each and every quirk about his new teammates. He was the captain after all! He needed to make sure that they were ready. This was the year they were going to nationals.

"Did Kindaichi tell you about Kageyama?" Iwaizumi asked one night, only a week into the new term.

"Eh?" Oikawa questioned. He was sitting on his new, bigger bed with Iwaizumi beside him. The alpha had forced him to the house about an hour after practice when he noticed that Oikawa was limping slightly. It wasn't a big deal, Oikawa had just landed a little too hard and jarred his knee slightly, but Iwaizumi had drug him back to the house and made him sit down with an ice pack. Oikawa had pouted until Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and leaned back against the headboard, allowing the omega to curl up into his side. "What about Tobio-chan?"

He could actually _hear_ Iwaizumi gritting his teeth. He really should stop that annoying habit. "Such a crappy guy," the alpha muttered. Oikawa scowled and shoved his sharp, pointy elbow right into the pretty abs beside him. Iwaizumi yelled out but didn't pull away, though Oikawa was sure if he looked over he would see the promise of retribution in his lovers eyes. "Kageyama's at Karasuno."

 _That_ made Oikawa sit up. "He's _where_?"

"Karasu-"

Oikawa broke into loud laughter. Kageyama Tobio, King of the Court, Genius Setter, was at _Karasuno_! It really was too funny. "How did he end up _there_?"

Iwaizumi let out a deep sigh and wrapped an arm around Oikawa's chest, pulling him backwards. Oikawa squeaked as he was forced back into the position he had just moved from. "Seriously? Are you still jealous of the kid?"

"I'm not _jealous_ , Iwa-chan! I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah," Iwaizumi grunted. "Well, at least now you can stop checking Shiratorizawa's roster to see if Kageyama is enrolled-"

"I _do not_ -"

"I've seen you, Oikawa."

Oikawa pouted. He had always made sure Iwaizumi was nowhere around when he did that. How had the alpha seen him? "Well, I didn't want him playing with Ushiwaka! That would have been horrible!"

Iwaizumi couldn't argue with that. Having Ushijima and Kageyama on the same team would have been a mess. "Yeah, well, he isn't. So you can leave it alone now."

Oikawa didn't respond. Because if Kageyama was at Karasuno…well, it was about time to see how much his dear Kohai had improved.

Iwaizumi hadn't exactly been…happy with him when the coach announced the practice match against Karasuno. "Are you shitting me?" He growled out the moment coach turned away. Oikawa held up his hands, giving the enraged alpha a bright smile.

"I just want to-"

"Seriously, Crappykowa?!"

"I just-"

"Karasuno?!"

Oikawa let out an irritated huff, smile falling off of his face as the other members of the team walked away with their eyes averted. "Iwa- _chan_! Listen! If Tobio-chan decided to go to Karasuno, we need to know why! We can't let some… _has been_ team coming in and taking our final chance at nationals!"

"Has been – sometimes, Oikawa, I really have to ask myself how the hell you turned out like this."

"Iwa-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he muttered, pushing past the omega. "This better not blow up in our faces."

Later, Oikawa would blame Iwaizumi. He cursed him with those words! That was the only explanation to how he fell and _sprained his ankle_ a week before the practice match! Coach wouldn't allow him to play until the doctor released him, so Oikawa had scheduled the follow up appointment as soon as he could – but that appointment was, of course, the same day as the match.

"We can't move the match, Oikawa," Coach sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead as if to ward off a headache. "Just get here as soon as you can."

Iwaizumi didn't help him either, "I swear if you push yourself and end up hurting yourself more because of a stupid practice game against Kageyama…"

"I feel _fine_ , Iwa-chan!"

"You better be."

Oikawa checked the time every two minutes during his appointment. He had no idea how the match was going and if was over before he even arrived… well, at least he would know Karasuno, even with Tobio, wasn't a match for his team. But if they were, he could see how the genius setter had improved over the years.

He really wasn't sure which option was better.

Luckily, or not he still didn't know for sure, the game was still going. He peaked into the room, making sure they were on break before he walked in. After all, he didn't want to distract anyone. It wasn't as if he wanted to make sure all of the attention was on him. Nope, not at all. He put his hands in his pockets and strode into the gym, fighting back a smirk when he heard the girls yelling for him in the stands. He could just picture the glare on his alpha's face. "Oh, Oikawa. You're back. How's the ankle?" Coach asked as he came to a stop in front of him.

Oikawa smiled, noticing that Karasuno's eyes were on him the entire time. "It's fine. I can get back to regular practice. It was just a slight sprain."

"For crying out loud! Be careful!" The Coach snapped back. "You're the one that asked to play against Kageyama. What do we do without our official setter? It's embarrassing."

Hearing the screaming suddenly intensify, Oikawa smiled brightly and sent them a wave. Even if he wasn't looking for another mate, it never hurt to have people rooting for him. Once again, he ignored the painful stinging pull in his chest at the thought.

He glanced to the side, seeing a bald kid in a Karasuno outfit glaring at him. His lips twitched. He had a feeling that baldy wasn't used to female attention and was a little upset that the girls were calling Oikawa's name.

"He's the captain of Aobajosai," he heard one of the Karasuno members mutter. He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Ah, it seemed more than Tobio-chan recognized him. Good.

"Oikawa-san is a super aggressive setter. His attack power is also probably the top of his team," Kageyma explained in what he apparently thought was a quiet voice, "And he's got a terrible personality. Maybe even worse than Tsukishima." Oikawa scowled. He didn't know who this Tsukishima person was, but there was no way he was worse than him! Wait. That wasn't right…

"He must be really bad!" A red haired kid gasped. Oikawa wondered if he had escaped from primary school but noticed just then that chibi-chan was wearing a Karasuno jersey. How cute.

"Did you know him from Kitagawa Daiichi?" Baldy growled out.

"Yes," Kageyama confirmed blankly. "He was my senpai in junior high."

 _I really wish he wouldn't call me that_ , Oikawa thought spitefully as he turned to face the Karasuno group. He flashed one of his best smiles and waved at them. "Yoo-hoo! Long time no see, Tobio-chan." He had to fight back yet another laugh at the irritation that flickered in those eyes at the nickname and the looks of horror on his teammates faces. This was just too fun. "So nice to see you," he continued. "You still doing the King thing?"

He could almost hear Iwaizumi growling from across the room.

He looked past Kageyama when he saw someone reach up to cover their mouth. A tall, blond haired beta was standing slightly behind and to the side and he seemed to be…chuckling? He saw Oikawa looking at him and the smirk fell off of his face as he lowered his hand. Then, the beta actually glared, GLARED!, at him before turning and walking toward another Karasuno player. Oikawa felt something in his chest pull toward the strange blond.

But he ignored it and shifted his eyes back toward Kageyama and his little group. That bald boy was staring at him again. "Tanaka-san, please stop with the intimidation!" Kageyama snapped. Ah. So Tanaka was baldy and he apparently thought he was… intimidating Oikawa? Cute.

Coach motioned for Oikawa to warm up off of the court as the third game began and Oikawa moved to do so. He looked over his shoulder, throwing a smirk toward a fuming Kageyama. "Crappykawa," he heard Iwaizumi growl. Oikawa turned toward his alpha, giving him a pout. He was ignored.

Karasuno wasn't bad. Actually, they were pretty good for not having a libero or a distinguishable ace. But, even watching, he couldn't really see why his team had lost previously. What was he missing? Kageyama was, as usual, tossing perfectly and baldy was good. The first years had trouble receiving and really needed practice. Maybe his team was just thrown off because he hadn't been there? They were used to him playing, after all. Soon enough, Oikawa was placed into the game as a pinch-server. "No matter how strong your offense is," he said quietly, so quietly he was sure Karasuno couldn't actually hear him. "It means nothing if you can't connect to it." He shifted, pointing toward the blond from Karasuno. He saw the startled look on the blondes face and felt that weird pull once again. He tossed the ball up into the air and served. The ball flew toward the blonde and Oikawa watched in pleasure as the blond failed to receive it cleanly. It bounced off of Glasses-kun's arms and into the balcony.

He really did enjoy the look of shock on his opponent's faces the first time they saw him serve. "Just as I thought. I watched part of the match…you, number 6, and you, number 5. You're not good receivers, are you?" He taunted with a smile that most people would call 'charming'. Those who actually knew him knew better. "You must be first years. Okay, let's score another one."

And score he did, serving right toward the blonde yet again. The look on the first-year beta's face was just too…pleasurable to ignore.

"Oh, one more point and we're tied," Oikawa said brightly with the volleyball in hand once again.

"Hey! You! Great King!" _What the…_ he looked at the red head first year. The kid was literally throwing some sort of fit in the middle of the court. _Great King?_ Was he talking about him? "Aim here! I'll receive it! Don't underestimate me! Aim here!"

"Stop raising a fuss, it's embarrassing!" Oikawa heard the blond say. Well, at least he agreed with him on that. But he had to admit, Chibi-chan was interesting. And odd. Interesting and odd.

"What did you say?" Chibi-chan suddenly growled. He turned, facing the blond beta and spread his arms out wide. "In volleyball, everyone on this side of the net is your ally!"

 _Well now._ Oikawa bit back a grin when he saw the look of disgust on the beta's face at those words. Ohh, he was pretty sure that was the same look Iwaizumi always wore when Oikawa said something 'crappy'.

Oikawa watched as the captain said something to the others on the court and the four moved so they were close to the side. "Hmm," Oikawa said thoughtfully. "So Captain-kun, expert at receiving is expanding the defense. However…you can't defend it by yourself!" Oikawa said as he served, still aiming for the blond. It wasn't as powerful as his usual serves, but it was worth it to see if the beta was actually able to get it. The blond did so and Oikawa felt a smirk cross his face. "He got it. Good for him," he sighed. "Maybe I made it too easy for him. However…this is our chance ball." The ball flew straight toward him and Oikawa chuckled, "There. A sweet, sweet chance ball. Score it good guys." He watched as Yahaba set the ball to Kindaichi and chibi-chan suddenly appeared in the block. Well, he was certainly quick.

"It's up!" Kageyama said as he ran forward to intercept it.

He watched as the kid landed and seemed to transport to the other side of the court in an instant. Before he could see what was happening, the ball was somehow at Chibi-chan's hand and he saw the kid look right at him as his hand flew forward. Oikawa knew what was going to happen just a moment before it did. The ball flew past him, close enough that he felt it graze his hair. He turned his head slightly to watch as the ball bounced away. What. Was. That?

Oikawa felt his team rally around him but he couldn't help but stare toward Karasuno. "Wow," he said softly, a smile coming over his face. Wasn't that interesting?

The teams broke up then, some heading toward the bathroom, some stepping out for a break. Oikawa stepped just beyond the doors, Iwaizumi behind him. He turned to his alpha, eyes wide. "Iwa-chan! What was that?"

"Something absolutely ridiculous," Iwaizumi responded with a growl. Oikawa chuckled and moved forward, resting his head against Iwaizumi's shoulder and nuzzling his nose against the mating mark he had placed there. The alpha tangled a hand in Oikawa's hair and pressed his cheek on the side of Oikawa's head. "We might need to speak to Kindaichi and Kunimi. Losing to Kageyama…"

"Hmm," Oikawa agreed, nodding his head slightly. He knew how Kageyama's former teammates saw him and he knew that the two wouldn't be happy about this loss. Oh well, he could probably use it to make Kunimi at least attempt to push himself during practice. To get 50% out of that kid Oikawa had to put in 150%.

"I'll see you inside," Oikawa said, stepping away from his alpha. Iwaizumi made to protest, but Oikawa quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and moved before Iwaizumi could comment – or question him on where he was going.

He moved to the front gates, wanting to see Karasuno before they left. Even he could admit that last spike was amazing. As was the toss. He always knew Kageyama would turn out to be remarkable. But it wasn't time for that. Not yet. Not while Oikawa was still here. Not while they were still playing on the same court. He saw Karasuno, clad in all black, move toward him and he listened in interest as Captain-kun began to speak. "Takeda-sensei complimented us," he said slowly, "but, frankly, if we were facing Seijoh and Oikawa in an all-out match, we'd be lacking." _You bet you would_.

"Spoken like a true captain," Oikawa commented with a smirk as he leaned against the front gate. He saw the entire team freeze when they caught sight of him. It was very entertaining. "You know your stuff," he admitted.

"The Great King makes his entrance!" Chibi-chan declared loudly. Oikawa felt himself smirk at the small first-year. He wasn't so sure how he felt about the nickname, but if it implied he was greater than Kageyama…

Well, who was he to complain?

"You got a problem?" Baldy, Tanaka, his mind contributed, asked Oikawa. He moved forward in what was supposed to be an imposing manner but Oikawa thought the effect was somewhat ruined by the small redhead that hid behind him.

"Wanna fight, huh?" Hinata questioned.

"Don't be so hostile," Oikawa said, waving his hand around and moving to stand up straight. "You, little one," Chibi-chan paled and Oikawa fought back a loud laugh, "your last one-touch and broad attack were amazing."

"Oh…" the kid blushed.

"Let's give it all we got the next time, right from the start," Oikawa continued. "You didn't get to see our set up. Oh, yes, and we'll be improving our serves, too," he said with a grin at the blond. Said blond scowled slightly and Oikawa suddenly had the urge to go up to him and flick him in the forehead to stop him from getting that frown on his face. He shook it off. "It's true, your offense was amazing but your receives aren't polished. You'll reach your limit very quickly. I'm not the only one who hits powerful serves." He moved, walking toward the school. "The Inter-High preliminaries are coming up soon. Don't get eliminated, okay?" He stopped right in front of Kageyama. "Because I…" he pointed at Kageyama dramatically and could almost hear the comments Iwaizumi would be giving him if he saw this. "…want to pulverize my dear underclassman, setter-on-setter, in an official match."

"The receivers will train!" Chibi-chan declared. He had moved to stand beside the blond and Oikawa raised an eyebrow at the look of irritation the beta wore when the little…alpha? huh…touched him.

"Hey, let go!" The beta protested. Oikawa scowled when he felt something in his chest jump as the beta spoke.

"Receivers don't improve overnight," Oikawa responded. He decided it was time to go. He was getting really tired of this odd feeling in his chest when he was around the beta. "There's not much time left till the tournament. I look forward to seeing you there."

He had to stop himself from thinking about it as he made his way back into the gym. He didn't want to think about it. He was telling the truth earlier. They needed to practice and the tournament wasn't that far away. That was what he needed to focus on. Nothing else.

"Oi! We're supposed to be cleaning! Where have you been?" Iwaizumi demanded as soon as he walked in.

"Just having a friendly chat," Oikawa replied, knowing that the alpha would see right through the statement but not wanting to get into it.

"Kageyama has become more amazing," Iwaizumi said carefully as Oikawa picked up a nearby volleyball and began to toss it up and down. Why was Iwa-chan bringing Kageyama up? How _irritating_.

"Yeah. That genius was spinning his wheels but finally found his best destination," Oikawa replied, not giving in to the obvious challenge. "No commoner could hold a candle to him now."

"Yeah?" Iwaizumi said blankly, though Oikawa felt a spark of irritation transfer through the bond. "You're no match for him either, then?"

"When it comes to the toss," Oikawa replied, knowing what he was saying was the truth. No matter how much he wanted to deny it. "There's probably no one in the prefecture who could match Tobio's toss," Oikawa admitted as he continued to toss the ball. He noticed Iwaizumi move from the corner of his vision but trusted that his alpha wasn't moving to far away. "But he's not better than me at serving, blocking, or spiking." Oikawa barely got the words out before something slammed into this back, causing him to drop the ball. "Ouch!"

"Damn it, Oikawa! Don't say his toss is better than yours!" Iwaizumi snapped. "You're a setter, aren't you?"

"But I'm only being honest!" Oikawa said with a frown. Isn't that what Iwaizumi wanted? "That's why we have to break their receivers. Because no matter how amazing his tosses are, if the ball doesn't get to the setter, it's all for nothing," he explained, "If we can play against Karasuno in an official game, we can make a mess out of their receives and not even give them a chance at a toss. Just having one good player doesn't mean you'll win. How I want to say 'don't mind' to them! How I want to say it."

Iwaizumi glared and Oikawa frowned at his alpha in confusion. "What? Don't geniuses piss you off?"

"Guys that girls squeal over piss me off even more," Iwaizumi said and Oikawa had to duck his head at the exasperation in his alpha's voice. He had known Iwaizumi wouldn't like that.

"You shouldn't be jealous, Iwa-chan! It's embarrassing!"

Another volleyball was thrown at his head and Oikawa had to duck out of the way. "Hey! Quit fooling around! Coach'll get mad!" Someone yelled as Oikawa whimpered, "Iwa- _chan_!".


	3. Truth

He didn't like the looks Iwaizumi kept giving him. It was this weird questioning, worried, annoyed look that Oikawa really wasn't sure how to interpret. He hadn't even realized Iwaizumi could feel all of those emotions at one time. He thought he might be impressed. "What is it, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa finally demanded after the hundredth glance, slamming his book closed and turning to stare at the alpha. They were supposed to be studying but there was no way he was going to be able to do so when Iwaizumi kept looking at him like that.

There was silence, both of them staring and studying at each other for what had to be at least three full minutes, when Iwaizumi finally cleared his throat and asked, "Oikawa, are you feeling a pull?"

Well, shit.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa sang out, turning his back toward the alpha and reopening his book. How the hell did he know that? He knew that alphas and betas were able to _sense_ when a circle was complete or not complete, but from everything he's read, that only happens to those that aren't bonded.

An omega was able to feel when a circle had grown to completion. If, after a bond was complete the omega still felt a physical _pull_ or were drawn to someone, then the circle was still open, for lack of better word. In this day in age, there were many mated pairs that were happy just being that – pairs. But if an omega happened to come from a large circle, they had a higher chance of needing their own circle to feel complete. Some doctors said that, until the circle was whole, the omega gave off pheromones to attract alphas, betas, and, sometimes, other omega's to them. Only those that were compatible would be drawn but just because an alpha or beta was drawn to the omega didn't mean the omega was the same. It was because the alphas and betas were attracted to the pheromones alone, while the omega was able to sense if a person was a good fit, not only for the omega but the for circle in general.

Once joined to a circle, the alphas and betas were no longer drawn to pheromones from other omegas – well, unless the circle was meant to have two omegas. But that was extremely rare.

Which means that someone Iwaizumi knew, someone they both knew, must have alerted Iwaizumi that Oikawa was still attracting mates. Interesting.

"Answer the question, Shittykawa!"

With a scowl, Oikawa turned to glare at his mate. "Don't _call_ me that!"

"Then answer the question!"

"I don't want to!" The omega snapped back. He crossed his arms over his chest and felt his lips pull back in a snarl. "I don't have time for this! We have so many things to work on with the team and I need to watch those match videos! We need to know the weaknesses of the other teams so we can make sure we win! And then there's studying and entrance exams-"

"So the answer is yes," Iwaizumi sighed, lifting a hand to his head and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Oikawa, you can't just ignore it."

"Who says I'm ignoring it?!" Oikawa demanded loudly, his voice shaking from annoyance. When he found out who told Iwaizumi, he was going to kill them. "Maybe I feel…something, but that doesn't mean I've felt it toward a specific person! After the first bond is complete, it could take years for-"

"Are you telling me that you truly haven't felt anything? For anyone?"

Oh. Well… "I didn't say that…exactly," Oikawa muttered darkly. How did Iwaizumi always know the exact thing to ask so that Oikawa couldn't talk his way around an issue? It worked with everyone else! He couldn't even lie because Iwaizumi would know. Even before the bond he was always able to tell when Oikawa was lying to him. "There was a first year from Karasuno…"

" _What_?" Iwaizumi growled, standing from where he had been relaxing on the bed. He glared down at the omega and clenched his fists at his sides, "Seriously, Crappykawa? You didn't think you should mention it?"

"We're _busy_!" Oikawa whined back determinedly. Iwaizumi knew this! Why was he making such a big deal about it? "There's too much to do to worry about that right now! So what if there was a pull toward some stupid beta? I don't know him and I don't care! Once we make it to Nationals, once we _win_ , I'll look into it. It might not even still be there by then! Didn't those books say that sometimes the person doesn't fit in with the rest of the circle and the pull will fade?"

Iwaizumi groaned and buried his head in his hands, "Why do I put up with you?" He muttered, more to himself than to Oikawa. Oikawa decided it would be better not to answer the question – if he did, he'd probably push the alpha too far at the moment. Iwaizumi sighed once more. Oikawa should really warn him about doing that so often. He didn't want his alpha to get early wrinkles. Iwaizumi dropped his hands and stared down at the omega with what Oikawa liked to refer to as his 'grumpy face'. "If it happens again, I don't _care_ if we haven't finished the season yet, you will tell me. Got it?"

Oikawa scowled. He still didn't know why this was such a big deal. As far as he was concerned, he had Iwaizumi. He had volleyball. He could concentrate on everything else later. "Fine," he muttered as his mind quickly flew through the different options of how to get out of that particular demand.

Iwaizumi's tense shoulders dropped and he slowly made his way back toward the bed. He sank down onto it, turning his attention toward the books that were scattered there. "Which one was it, anyway?"

Now it was Oikawa's turn to tense when he heard the question, "Which was what?"

"Don't mess with me right now," Iwaizumi warned, his dark eyes flashing as a low growl made its way out of Iwaizumi's throat. Oikawa felt himself flinch back at the look and he hated himself for it. "Which first year was it?"

"Does it really matter? We probably won't see Karasuno again anyway. They never get very far-"

"Oikawa!" Oikawa didn't respond. He didn't want to answer. What if Iwaizumi decided to find out more about the blond? He knew his best friend, his alpha. He knew that he probably hadn't even really noticed the first year and, if Oikawa admitted it, the other would attempt to fix that. Just in case something really did happen. "Holy – was it Kageya-"

"NO! No! Why would you…no! Iwa-chan!" Oikawa imaged himself asking Kageyama to consider courting him. Asking him to bond, to…ew! No, no, no, NO! He shuddered and shook his head frantically, hoping to clear the images away from his mind. Stupid Iwa-chan for putting that thought into his head!

"Well, you were so against telling me-"

"Not because of _that_! That's gross!"

"Oi, don't be a crappy guy!" Iwaizumi snapped but Oikawa could see the pure amusement in his eyes, despite the annoyed expression on his face. "Well, if it isn't him, then was it the small one? The one that hit that weird spike?"

"Chibi-chan?"

"Of course you gave him that nickname."

"No, it isn't Chibi-chan either! It's like you don't know me at all!"

"I know you better than anyone else, Crappy-" the alpha broke off, staring with wide eyes at the omega, before letting out yet another long groan and throwing his head back to rest on the pillow. "It was the glasses kid, wasn't it? That's why you chose to aim your serves at him."

Well…maybe he did know him. Oikawa shifted in his chair, averting his eyes to the floor. "Well – he really was bad at-"

"So was the short one," Iwaizumi cut him off yet again. Oikawa pouted. He really wished his alpha would stop doing that. "But you went after the other one. God, Oikawa, what are you? Five? You just literally did your own version of pulling pigtails."

Well, _that_ was uncalled for. "I did not! He was bad at receiving and he needed to know-"

"Even when the captain moved to cover the area, you served straight at the kid," Iwaizumi continued, laughter now overtaking the annoyance in his voice. "Hell, you even lessened the power of your serve to do so. Don't think I didn't see the surprise on your face when he managed to get it in the air."

Oikawa stood and moved toward the bed. He stood there, staring down at the now laughing alpha with his hands on his hips. "Iwa-chan! Stop laughing! That isn't why I-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Break their receivers," Iwaizumi gasped out as he continued to laugh. He reached out a hand, grabbing Oikawa's wrist and pulling him down onto the bed. Oikawa squawked loudly as he fell, landing half on the scattered books and half on Iwaizumi's lap. "You flirt constantly, Crappykawa," the alpha said as he locked his arms around the omega, "yet you find someone that you actually feel drawn to and you pick on them like a child with his first crush."

"Iwa- _chan_!"

Oikawa made sure that what he had promised Karasuno came true. He worked the receivers. He worked with every member of the team to improve their serves. Iwaizumi worked with the starters on blocks while Oikawa focused on helping Yahaba with setting. He needed to make sure his team was stronger than ever, strong enough to beat Shiratorizawa. If he lost one more time…if he had to hear those words…

 _"You should have come to Shiratorizawa."_

He might actually lose it.

"Alright, I'm calling it," Iwaizumi said, one night shortly before Inter-High. "We've all done as much as we can for the night. Be back here tomorrow and be prepared to work."

There were multiple groans but just as many faces nodded back toward him determinedly. Oikawa was barely paying attention as the others made their way out of the gym. Not one person actually expected him to leave. He still needed to work on accuracy. He was able to serve with power. He was able to serve moderately accurate. But to do both? Well, it was something he needed to work on.

"You have an hour," Iwaizumi called out, moving to sit on the side of the court. Oikawa knew he was watching him carefully, watching for any sign whatsoever that Oikawa was pushing it. But Oikawa knew he had to be careful. After the disaster that was his first year, he couldn't allow himself to be pulled out and benched again.

Especially now that it was his third year. His last year.

He moved to set up water bottles on the other side of the net, placing them in random places. He then moved into the serving position and began.

It didn't go well, not consistently at least. Oh, he was able to hit the bottles about 75% of the time, but he was only serving at 50% power. Iwaizumi had taken to setting the bottles back into place after Oikawa knocked them down, but he kept quiet most of the time.

"Times up," he finally said, his eyes glancing at the clock that was placed beside the door. "You need to ice that knee."

Oikawa didn't argue. It was true that he could feel the dull ache that was usually accompanied by a sharp pain later if he didn't rest it right away. He and Iwaizumi cleaned everything up and moved to lock the door. After they changed in the clubroom and grabbed their bags, the two of them slowly made their way toward Oikawa's house. "What do you think our chances are?" Oikawa finally asked, his voice shaking on the question. Iwaizumi was the only person that he would ever allow to hear that, to hear the uncertainty. With everyone else, he needed to be confident. He needed to lead them.

"I think we'll do well," came the instant reply. "We'll get it this year, Tooru."

Oikawa felt a small smile cross his lips at both the encouragement and the name. It wasn't the usual smile that the girls, and boys, giggled after but the smile he only allowed himself to use with his alpha. The smile that his sister used to laugh at when he was young because it made him 'look like the dork you really are'. "I really hope so," Oikawa responded. After six years, three in junior high and three in high school, he would like to say that he made it. At least once. That he had been to nationals. That he played against some of the best teams in the country.

That he was good enough.

He broke out of those thoughts when a warm arm slithered around his waist. "Let's get home," Iwaizumi growled out, ushering Oikawa quickly down the street. It was then that Oikawa noticed a group of alpha and betas leaning against a side building, all of their eyes fixated on the omega and leering grins on their faces.

Oikawa laughed in delight at his alpha, even though the looks he was getting were making him uncomfortable. Not that he would ever admit it out loud. "Iwa-chan, are you jealous?"

Iwaizumi growled in annoyance but didn't bother responding. Oikawa kept the smirk on his face until they were out of sight of the group but then he let it fall as he twisted his body slightly to twine his own arm around his alpha and the two of them promptly made their way home.

Once there, Oikawa wasn't surprised to see that his parents weren't home. His mom had mentioned something about some tickets they had, but he was surprised to see his sister, her alpha, and her son sitting on the couch. "Eh? Why are you here?"

His sister glanced up, eyes narrowed. "Is that any way to speak to your elders?"

"Well, you're certainly elder," Oikawa responded, letting his gaze travel over her in a particularly telling manner.

The omega jumped to her feet growling but her alpha stood quickly and pulled her into his arms. "Aiko called us from the hospital," Hideaki quickly informed them. Oikawa frowned in concern at the name. He had never gotten along with his sister, or her alpha, but he always liked her beta. She was the one person he could actually stand when they came to visit. And she was the only one that didn't treat him like he had an IQ of 90. "We need to go see her but Takeru-"

"We'll watch him," Iwaizumi cut in, smiling down at the eight year old who had run up to him and was leaning into his side. Oikawa scowled. His nephew had always seemed to rather be around Iwaizumi instead of him. He blamed his idiot sister.

"Thank you, Hajime," Machiko said gratefully, sending her brother a glare. Oikawa responded with one of his own. "We thought we could count on you."

Oikawa rolled his eyes at the obvious dig, "Yes, I get it, you didn't come here for me. Shouldn't you be going to check on Aiko?"

"We would have already been there if someone had actually ended practice when he was supposed too! Did you make Hajime stay late again?! You know you aren't supposed to-"

"Thank you for your help," Hideaki interrupted, bowing his head toward Iwaizumi. "We will be back as soon as we can." He pulled Machiko toward the door, not even bothering to look at Oikawa as he moved around him. Oikawa scowled in annoyance. He and Hideaki had never gotten along and nothing his parents or Iwaizumi did was ever going to make that improve. From the moment he had met the alpha, something about him had rubbed Oikawa the wrong way.

"Can we play a game?" Takeru asked excitedly, pulling on Iwaizumi's jacket. Oikawa turned his attention away from the door and looked at his nephew.

"Don't you have homework?"

"I can do it later," Takeru answered, not even looking at Oikawa as he did so. It seemed he had been picking up some bad habits from that father of his. "I want Iwaizumi-san to teach me to block! And spike! It's so cool-"

"I can teach you-"

"No thanks."

Iwaizumi was watching the two in amusement but tried to clear the expression when he saw Oikawa pouting at him. Obviously, he didn't succeed and Oikawa huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "We can do that," Iwaizumi told Takeru with a smile. He turned to Oikawa and gave a pointed glance toward the omega's knee, "Your uncle needs to rest his knee anyway. Tooru, get some ice and come watch us."

Oikawa grunted in acknowledgement and moved toward the kitchen. Stupid nephews. Stupid sisters. Didn't Takeru know that Oikawa was one of the best in the prefecture? He should be excited to have him for an uncle – not ignore him to practice volleyball with someone else! Even if that someone else had known him as long as Oikawa had (since birth) and that person was his uncles mate…which practically made him his uncle as well…

Still! Oikawa was blood!

Oikawa was still scowling when he moved outside to watch as Iwaizumi helped Takeru with his blocks. The scowl began to fade the longer he watched. It was…cute the way the eight year old gazed up at Iwaizumi. Like everything the alpha said was sacred. Oikawa vaguely wondered if their own children would look at Iwaizumi like that.

Well then! Looks like the night air was getting to him!

"I'm going in!" Oikawa announced, grabbing the ice bag off of his knee. Most of it was melted anyway. "Takeru, I don't think your parents are going to make it back tonight, so I'll set up the spare-"

"Okay, thanks!"

Oikawa sighed as he made his way back inside. How was it that he could never get a complete sentence in whenever his sister or nephew was around? He quickly set up the spare futon for his nephew and then made his way into the bath. He needed a good soak before bed and he figured Iwaizumi and Takeru would be at it for a while anyway.

He let himself think on the conversation he and Iwaizumi had the night before as he relaxed in the water. His own parents had taken years to form their circle. His mother had presented as an omega in her third year of high school and she had bonded with his father shortly thereafter. The two of them had gone to school together throughout junior high and high school but they hadn't really been friends. His mother always said that the moment she walked into class after she presented, she had known he would be her first mate. The two had bonded and finished school. They met his mom two years later during university and they had a long courtship, not bonding for another year after that. It was around that time that his mother had found she was expecting and his oldest brother had been born. While in the hospital, she had met his dad. The circle and he had courted for about three months before they decided to make it official. His sister was born a year later. Oikawa had been a surprise. His parents had actually thought they were done with children but his mother had gotten pregnant again six years later.

It was because of this that Oikawa wasn't worried about hurrying to finish his own circle. He had heard that some circles had difficulties later with feelings of unbalance if it took too long to finish but his own parents were happy. His dad never seemed upset that his mother and father bonded years before they had ever met. He didn't really see why Iwaizumi was rushing. He sighed as the thoughts continued to float through his mind. Whatever. If Iwaizumi wanted to know, Oikawa would tell him. They could decide what to do together and Oikawa could avoid all this…unpleasantness.

It seemed like he was right that Iwaizumi and Takeru would be playing for a while. Not only had Oikawa had a nice, hot bath, he had also completed his night routine and slid into bed before he heard the front door open. It was his parents and they must have said something about Takeru's bedtime because he heard the bathroom door open and close a few minutes later. He was just drifting off when his own bedroom door opened and soft footsteps made their way to the bed. A warm, spicy, and familiar scent engulfed him as the person lifted up the blanket and slid in beside Oikawa. "Night," Iwaizumi whispered as his arm slid around Oikawa's waist.

Oikawa didn't bother to respond, he just turned over and curled toward Iwaizumi to his head on his alpha's chest.


	4. InterHigh

Oikawa was ready. This was the first step and then he would finally be able to beat Ushiwaka and prove that he hadn't made a mistake by choosing Aobajōsai. Iwaizumi didn't say a word as they traveled to the school to meet the rest of the team. He knew just how important this was. Oikawa thanked the aliens above that he had ended up with an alpha that really did understand that there were times he had to be closed off from everything else to focus on what truly mattered. Well, mattered to him anyway.

The team greeted them with smiles but Oikawa could see that they were just as nervous, just as ready as he was. They were subdued on the way to the courts, Oikawa only managing to nod along as Coach spoke of the other teams in their block. They were almost to the doors when a group of girls flooded around the setter, cutting him off from the rest of the team. He flashed them a bright, fake smile and laughed as they began to chatter. Most of the girls were Beta's but he could smell one Alpha and Omega in front of him. Yahaba paused for a moment to help Oikawa escape but the omega simply waved him on. He needed the distraction and they weren't going to be playing for awhile anyway. He could meet up with everyone later.

"Oikawa-san, are you searching to expand your circle?" One of the girls asked brightly, her eyes fluttering.

Oikawa flashed a bright smile but could feel his omega retreating as far away as it possibly could from the girl. "I'm focusing on volleyball at the moment," he said merrily, smiling once again as another girl held out a bag of cookies.

"I made these for you!" She said loudly, cutting off a response from the first girl, "I hope your team does well today!"

Oikawa reached into the bag and carefully took out one of the treats. "Thank you," he responded, happily taking a bite. "It's delicious! You really made this?"

"Yes! I stayed up all night making them!" She exclaimed and Oikawa winced as his omega whimpered and retreated even further.

"That's so nice! Thanks!"

"It was nothing!"

"Oikawa-san, can I take a picture with you?" The Omega finally spoke up, her voice much softer than the others that had previously spoken.

"A picture? Sure?" He replied with a smile. He had to admit, being close to another omega was making him calm somewhat.

The calmness didn't last long.

He yelled out in pain as something slammed into the back of his head, making him stumble forward. "Ouch! Not even the coach hits me-" Oikawa started furiously, turning to yell at whoever had dared to hit him. He stopped speaking instantly when he saw his absolutely furious alpha standing there, volleyball in hand. "Uh, sorry. Let's do the picture another time," Oikawa sent one last smile toward the girls and hurried to his alpha as his omega began to howl.

"We're going," Iwaizumi snarled as Oikawa got close. He grabbed onto Oikawa's arm and tugged him into the building, Oikawa letting out a yelp as he did so.

"Iwa-chan! Be careful!"

"What the hell were you doing?" Iwaizumi demanded as he continued to pull him down the hallway. "This isn't the time for – Coach wants us to watch Karasuno."

Oikawa stopped complaining instantly and picked up his footsteps. Karasuno. That's right. They needed to watch the crows, to see how much they had improved. If Karasuno won there was a chance they would be playing them. And Oikawa was not going to let Kageyama win.

"Nice of you to join us," Coach snapped as they met up with the rest of the team. "Alright, let's go," he grumbled, leading the way into the gym.

The team moved forward, searching for seats with a good viewpoint. There wouldn't be a point in watching if they couldn't make out what was happening. "Oh! It's Turnip Head!" someone said loudly. Oikawa fought back a smile, one that Kumini didn't even try to hide, as Kindaichi looked toward the court questioningly. "Turnip Head? What's that?"

"It's you. What else?" Kunimi laughed at his friend and mate.

Kindaichi glared down at his omega, "What?"

Oikawa saw both Chibi-chan and Tobio staring at the two first years. Well, that couldn't happen. They should be focusing on him, after all. "Yoohoo! Tobio-chan, chibi-chan! How's the freak duo doing?" He asked as he leaned over the railing and enjoyed the twin looks of horror the two were giving him.

"It's the Great King!" Oikawa heard as he was once again wincing in pain as something slammed into his back.

 _Damn! In the same spot…_ "That hurt, Iwa-chan!" He whined loudly as he scowled at his alpha. The pain faded from his memory as his eye caught something on the court. "Oh. They have a libero. He wasn't there for the practice match…"

"Neither was the big guy," Iwaizumi said, coming up to lean beside him. Oikawa followed his gaze to the tall number three as he leaned against the strong body beside him. Iwaizumi's arm traveled around him and Oikawa nuzzled further into the warmth.

"Ooh, interesting," Oikawa commented with a smirk. "This might be worth the time after all."

"Such a crappy guy."

"Iwa-chan!"

Oikawa pulled away from his alpha with a huff and moved toward a chair, leaving Iwaizumi leaning against the railing. He let his eyes travel over the players in front of him. He was sure the other team would be just as confused as his own team once they started to play. He would enjoy seeing the reactions on their faces.

It wasn't until his eyes landed on a specific person that Oikawa realized he had been looking for someone. Oh. That tall middle-blocker. The first year. Oikawa almost gasped out loud when his omega sprang forward in his chest, urging Oikawa to go to the kid. Oikawa felt his hands clench into fists. This was not the time for this. He had other things to worry about and he wasn't going to let that tall kid be one of them.

"Their opponents are confused," Iwaizumi said in amusement and Oikawa was finally able to pull his gaze away from the Karasuno first year. "But you can't blame them. I mean, a middle blocker competes with the tallest players."

"Those that underestimate him have another thing coming," Kindaichi muttered. Oikawa briefly wondered where Kunimi had wandered off to but he knew the other boy was probably slumped in a chair somewhere trying to sleep.

Iwaizumi laughed in response, "Spoken from experience."

"I'll grind them to dust next time," Kindaichi vowed.

Oikawa felt a small grin take over at the words. Well, he couldn't say his first years weren't dedicated. He fixed his eyes back on the game as the whistle blew. Within the first few plays he knew that things were different. Karasuno was different. And that libero was quick. Very quick. Just with him as an addition, the team had changed dramatically from the team he had seen a few weeks ago.

Oikawa yawned pointedly as Karasuno's apparent ace spiked and people in the stand began to murmur. Yes, the man had power behind his spike but it was nothing compared to his Iwa-chan's.

"Wow, that's awesome power," Iwaizumi muttered and Oikawa glared as Kindaichi agreed.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa reprimanded and was promptly ignored. He was going to continue to whine but then he saw it. The shrimp was jumping.

Oikawa jumped out of his own chair and moved toward the railing. He watched in amazement as Tobio and chibi pulled off their quick attack. "Wow," he muttered as his eyes trailed the odd duo. He felt more than saw Iwaizumi's nod in agreement. With a sigh, Oikawa moved to gracefully slide back into his chair. "I don't think Karasuno will have much of a problem with this match."

"Such a crappy guy," Iwaizumi muttered but Oikawa felt the strong rush of affection directed toward him from the alpha so he didn't bother to retort.

"It looks like they're going to win the first set in no time," Kindiachi mused.

"That libero is a pesky one," Iwaizumi commented and Oikawa had to agree. He hadn't taken that little one into his plans. "Now that the dude with the beard is playing, Kageyama has even more options."

Stupid Kageyama.

Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair. Iwaizumi was right. At their practice match, Karasuno was still a disjointed and had a group on unreliable players. They still haven't reached their full potential, potential Oikawa would be happy if they never realized they had, but they had certainly improved.

And giving more options, any options, to Kageyama was dangerous.

Oikawa didn't like it.

Iwaizumi slid into the seat next to him as Karasuno took the first match. "Glasses isn't too bad. Needs some work but he blocks well," he commented softly as he stared at the tall first year.

"I didn't notice," Oikawa said airily though they both knew it was a lie. The omega's eyes had constantly strayed toward the blond as the game continued on.

"Sure you didn't," Iwaizumi muttered with a fond smile. The alpha slid an arm on the back of Oikawa's chair and the omega let himself fall sideways just slightly so he could rest against the warmth and security his alpha radiated. The two rested there for a moment, Kindaichi hovering uncertainly in front of them, until the next match began and Iwaizumi joined the other blocker against the railing once more. Oikawa almost whined at the loss but he quickly clamped his teeth shut. Iwaizumi sent him a smirk and briefly brushed his hand against the mating mark before moving to lean against the railing.

Kageyama was up to serve first. Oikawa sat up in his chair as his former kohai took on a familiar stance. He couldn't…

"A service ace…" Kindaichi gasped.

Oikawa growled when he felt amusement flash through his bond. Oh, Iwaizumi thought it was funny, did he? "Karasuno has stepped up their game, even after winning the first set," the alpha replied, ignoring the irritation his omega was displaying. There was no way the alpha wasn't feeling it- Oikawa was making sure to broadcast it loud and clear.

Oikawa watched in annoyance as his former kohai pulled off yet another service ace. He still had work to do to get to Oikawa's standards, a lot of work, but there was no doubt he was going to get there.

And he hated that thought.

The match continued and soon enough, Karasuno had claimed victory. Oikawa's eyes trailed the blond first year as he made his way off of the court and out of sight with others from the team, leaving only the coach, manager, and odd duo in his view.

"Do they realize they have to play another match this afternoon?" Kindaichi questioned as he shook his head.

"Huh?"

"I mean, it was impossible for the other team to make a comeback. They should've conserved their energy-"

No.

"I'm glad they didn't," Oikawa cut in as he got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw a group of alpha's watching him appreciatively. "We got to see them be serious, although we didn't get to see that freak quick."

"The match on that court's done, too," Maki said as he walked over to the three, "Dateko won handedly."

"So it will be Dateko vs Karasuno. Who will win?" Kindaichi questioned.

"Let's go," Iwaizumi cut in, moving past the first year and placing his hand on Oikawa's arm. Oikawa didn't miss the glare he sent at the group that had been watching Oikawa. "It won't matter if we don't win." His hand slipped off of Oikawa and he and the others walked off to join the rest of the team. Oikawa didn't move. His eyes were fixated on the two odd Karasuno players. He wanted to play them. He wanted to have a true match with them.

"Do well against Dateko," he muttered as he moved his eyes away and began to walk toward his team. "Let's play a game, Tobio-chan."

They won their game against Omisaki easily. The opposing team didn't have half of the determination as Oikawa's team and they didn't seem particularly motivated. Winning the first two sets ended the match and Oikawa found himself at home with Iwaizumi quicker than expected.

"They won, you know," Iwaizumi said as he gently placed a bag of ice on Oikawa's knee.

"Hmm?" Oikawa questioned, shifting slightly so the alpha could slide beside him on the bed. Iwaizumi did so, leaning against the headboard so Oikawa could rest against him. Oikawa winced slightly as the shifting made him twist his leg.

"Karasuno," Iwaizumi clarified, "They won against Dateko."

Oikawa chuckled, "And you thought I wouldn't know that? Silly, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi let out a huff and slid his arm around Oikawa's waist. "Yeah, I figured you would have found out already. I just thought I'd mention it. You know, in case you want to pull the blonde's pigtails again."

Oikawa gasped in indignation and sat up so he could turn to glare at the alpha. Iwaizumi laughed loudly, holding onto Oikawa's waist as the omega struggled to get out of his hold. "Iwa – I don – that wasn't what I was doing!"

"Sure, sure," Iwaizumi laughed, ignoring the flailing arms. "I'm just saying that you might want to cut back on the flirting during the match. We can always find him afterwards."

" _Hajime_!"

To say Oikawa was excited about the next match was an understatement. "Calm down," Iwaizumi finally snapped as they walked into the gym.

"We're going to win," Oikawa informed his alpha brightly.

"I know," Iwaizumi sighed, most likely because Oikawa had been chanting the same thing all morning. "Come on, let's warm up and get this started."

Soon enough, Oikawa found himself shaking hands with Karasuno's captain, "Let's play."

They began warming up, Oikawa giving his teammates encouragement as they did so. Well…most of his teammates. There was a small incident when Oikawa told Iwaizumi he was working too hard and it wasn't like any of the girls would be looking at him anyway. Kindaichi had to hold the alpha back from his omega. Oikawa merely laughed. He hadn't said anything that wasn't true – the girls would be too focused on him to pay attention to the alpha.

Not that it mattered anyway.

The two teams lined up, Iwaizumi smacking Oikawa in the back of the head as they did so. Oikawa found himself staring at a familiar face. Glasses-kun stared back at him, eyebrows raised. Oikawa didn't smile. He made his face carefully blank as he stared at the younger beta. He literally felt as if a cord was tying the two of them together and someone was trying to force his body to move forward to lessen the pull. He held himself back.

This wasn't the time.

Feeling another pair of eyes on him, Oikawa forced himself to look to the side slightly. He met another familiar face. Blue eyes glared at him and Oikawa couldn't help but throw a wink Tobio's way. "Idiot," Iwaizumi muttered from beside him.

Oikawa moved forward as soon as he was able, moving to intercept the opposing setting, "Tobio-chan," he started, making the first year turn to him in surprise. "I came here excited to take down the genius setter, so do your best, and hold on," he taunted with a smirk.

Tobio's expression didn't change but he did turn to face him fully, "We will win-"

"We won't lose!" Another voice cut in and Oikawa found his sight blocked by bright orange hair.

Oikawa couldn't help but stare at the furious shrimp as Kageyama berated him for cutting in on the conversation. He then turned back to Oikawa, "We won't lose this time either!"

"Eh? I guess we'll see," Oikawa smirked, his hand resting on his hip.

A few minutes later and both teams were making their way onto the court, "Okay, let's do this," Oikawa said, "Now then, as usual… I believe in all of you." They all huddled and Oikawa smirked, "Let's go!"

First serve was Glasses-kun and Oikawa was almost disappointed at how light a serve it was. No matter, no matter. He shouldn't care, he should actually be thankful. He shouldn't be thinking about anything other than the game. He looked up at the ball in frustration. He really should set that, probably to Iwaizumi as an opening move.

However…

He jumped. He took out his frustration on the ball, spiking it as hard as he could. He felt his lips twitch when he saw the looks of shock on Karasuno's faces.

Well, he felt better.

"Come on, I'll be doing the same thing again," he said to the other team, taunting them. "Don't stand there so out of it. Pay attention."

"Is it time for the mind games already?" Iwaizumi muttered as he made his way back to his position.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Iwa-chan."

"Such a crappy guy."

For his own amusement, Oikawa made it obvious that he was going to spike the ball the next play – only to turn it into a set for his alpha.

He really did love those looks.

"Hey, that was a little low," Iwaizumi said as the stands erupted into cheers.

"Really? Sorry about that," Oikawa returned, amused that his alpha was choosing to point that out now of all times. "But, Iwa-chan, you usually hit it regardless."

He was still amused as the next play started. And then it happened.

"I'll be doing the same thing again. Pay attention!"

And there went all amusement. It was replaced by pure rage that had Oikawa clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "You stupid little brat."

"Oikawa," Iwaizumi snapped instantly as he moved forward. "Come on," Oikawa had no intention of moving. He was considering if it would be worth getting suspended from the game if he dove under the net to grab onto the- "Now."

Oikawa reacted instantly to that growl, turning his body to face his alpha. Iwaizumi moved closer to him, leaning his head toward the omega. "Take a deep breath. It's one point. We'll get it back on the next play."

Oikawa felt his anger subside slightly and then completely vanish as Iwaizumi reached up and lightly brushed his finger against the claiming bite. Oh, that felt nice…

"Kageyama is serving," Iwaizumi muttered as his hand dropped. He motioned for Oikawa to get into position and the omega did so with a scowl. Yes, serving. A jump serve. That little…

"He sure blew that one out of the park," Iwaizumi said in amusement as the ball flew completely off the court.

Oikawa was giggling, his irritation vanishing. For the moment. "What an amazing homerun."

"Hey, I was right. We got the point back."

"He practically gave it to us."

Oikawa smirked as the ball was tossed to him. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to show you how it's done."

He took aim at the libero. Two reasons for this. One, if the libero missed than it would help break down the other team. Knowing that their libero couldn't get his serve…well, it would be perfect ammunition. Second, if he did get it, Oikawa would be able to pick out flaws and strengths in the kid.

Either option was helpful.

He watched closely as the libero moved to intercept it, sending it up. "Aw man, he really is amazing!" Oikawa said as he ran forward.

"What do you mean, 'show you how it's done'?" Iwaizumi snapped in exasperation as he watched the ball. "He received it without a problem!"

Poor Iwa-chan. Oikawa just laughed sheepishly, knowing that Iwa-chan wouldn't be happy with his reasons for aiming at the libero.

Karasuno took the point with another freak quick. "That god-like toss should be against the rules. Jeez," Oikawa muttered.

"Sorry I keep messing up," Kindaichi apologized earnestly.

Oikawa sent a small smile toward his kohai. "Well, they are the Karasuno that toyed with Date Tech. Let's just wait a bit," Oikawa told him. "It shouldn't be much longer." He moved to tie his shoe, keeping his face down so no one could see the smirk. The longer he took to do this, the longer the delay was to start the round. Which meant more time to goad Kindaichi. "More importantly, Kindaichi, I'm sure you're rather frustrated that the role of Kageyama's partner was stolen by that little shrimp."

"No, not really-"

"It's fine. Don't sweat it," Oikawa continued on as if the first year hadn't spoken. "Even if Tobio thought of you as a minion that wasn't very useful in junior high, I, the great Oikawa-san, will prove that you're amazing, even without using god-like quicks."

He stood and gently prodded Kindaichi forward. "So don't worry and just jump."

"What the hell did you just do?" Iwaizumi muttered as Oikawa moved past him.

"What I needed to," Oikawa responded, holding back a smirk.

He didn't have to hold it back only a moment later with Kindaichi scored. "So crappy," Iwaizumi muttered as he moved to serve.

Karasuno scored but it was that play that it finally clicked with Oikawa. What he had been waiting for. He quickly motioned for coach to call a time-out and moved toward the side with the rest of the team. From the corner of his eye, he caught the panic that briefly flashed across Kageyama's features.

"I'm pretty sure I'm right about this," Oikawa started as he glanced around at his team, "It's 'bring it' and 'to me'. I noticed that shrimp would always yell something when he'd move in on the ball, and I thought it seemed pretty stupid. But when they use that god-like quick attack, it appears they are using 'bring it' like 'bring it here' or 'bring it to me'. And with a normal one they're using 'to me'. But that shrimps role is to be the decoy. They want us to focus our attention on him. So let's just set up a simple rule. When we hear 'bring it', let's just have one person mark the shrimp. When we hear 'to me', let's see where the toss goes before we jump. Okay?"

"Right!" His teammates yelled out in agreement.

"Considering we took a time out this early when nothing's really happened yet, don't you think they realized that we've realized what they're doing?" Iwaizumi asked.

"That's completely fine. It's actually better if they realize it!" Oikawa assured his alpha. "If they know that we've realized they're using those signals, it might be minimal, but Tobio will panic."

Iwaizumi let out a sigh, "Of course that would make you happy. Everything else okay?" He asked as the rest of the team broke away.

Oikawa frowned, "Why wouldn't it be, Iwa-chan?"

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, "You know what I'm asking Crappykawa."

Pursing his lips, Oikawa nodded. "I haven't really thought about it since the game started. I'm fine, Iwa-chan! We need to focus and beat Tobio. Then we can move on and Ushiwaka-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Iwaizumi let out a sigh, "I don't know why I even bother asking about this. Let's just focus on the game."

"That's what I've been saying this entire time, Iwa-chan!"

Oikawa wasn't going to lie and say it was an easy game. It wasn't. At all. Actually, it was much more difficult than he expected. They won the first match but Karasuno managed to get the second. And that third…well, Oikawa wasn't going to lie and say he hadn't been worried.

But they did it. They won.

Oikawa could barely keep his eyes open by the time he and Iwaizumi got to Iwa-chan's house. "I'll get some ice," Iwaizumi muttered as he began to walk to the kitchen. Oikawa stopped him with a hand on the arm.

"Let's go to bed, Iwa-chan."

"Tooru, if we don't ice your knee-"

"Too tired, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi sighed and moved toward the bedroom. Oikawa stripped quickly and crawled into the bed, snuggling under the blankets and waiting for Iwaizumi to join him. Instead, Iwaizumi stripped out of his clothes and placed on a loose pair of pajama pants before bending down and placing a kiss on Oikawa's forehead. "I'll get that ice."

"Iwa-"

"We have a big game tomorrow," Iwaizumi said, his voice becoming monotone as he mentioned their next match. Oikawa twitched and forced his eyes open. That's right, tomorrow they were going to play-

"Get some sleep. I'll take care of it."

"Iwa-"

"Sleep, Tooru."


	5. Interlude

A/N: Short update to get back into the swing of things. Hope you enjoy!

They lost.

After all that work. After everything they had done. All their new plays. All their intelligence. All of it was destroyed. Completely blown away by sheer force.

By Ushiwaka.

"Tooru," Iwaizumi said softly as he walked into the bedroom. Oikawa didn't respond. He didn't want his Iwa-chan to see him right now. Not like this. Oikawa was completely devastated. His eyes were bright red, his nose was running, and he hadn't managed to get even ten minutes of sleep.

There was a deep sigh from the doorway and then the sound of footsteps. Oikawa pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his pillow. His entire body was covered under a thick blanket. A blanket that suddenly moved. Oikawa tightened his hold on the section he had but no one tried to jerk it away from him. Instead, a warm body was suddenly pressed up against him. Oikawa stiffened and continued to keep himself buried. Iwa-chan always told him he was an ugly crier. He didn't want his alpha to see him right now.

"Tooru," Iwaizumi whispered as he curled his arms around Oikawa's waist. Oikawa felt his body relax at the familiar touch but he still refused to turn. He wasn't going to school. Practice had been cancelled for the day. There was no point.

"We still have Spring," Iwaizumi muttered as he placed his chin on Oikawa's shoulder. "We have another chance-"

"It won't do any good," Oikawa cried out, the sobs escaping his throat. The hold on him tightened at the sound. "We tried so hard…the entire team…" the sobs were coming more frantically now. Oikawa couldn't stop them. "The team must hate me-"

"Hey!" Iwaizumi snapped. Before Oikawa knew it, the blanket had been pulled away from their heads and Iwaizumi had rolled him on his back. The alpha moved quickly, straddling Oikawa and placing his hands on either side of his head. Oikawa closed his eyes quickly and tried to turn his head away. At any other time, on any other day, he would be making a crack about the now familiar position and his fiery alpha mate.

Not today.

"Open your eyes," Iwaizumi growled. "Damn it, Oikawa! How could you think any of them –any of _us_ – would think you were anything but amazing?"

Oikawa kept his eyes closed tightly but even then he could feel the tears leaking from his eyes. How could Iwaizumi _say_ that? After everything that had happened…after all the things Oikawa had said to them, all the things he had _promised_! That this was the year they would finally make it to Nationals, they would finally win against Ushiwaka.

And he failed.

"Look at me!" Iwaizumi whispered and Oikawa's eyes flew open when he heard the break in his alpha's voice. Iwaizumi was staring down at him, his own eyes bloodshot as they travelled over Oikawa's face. Oikawa looked away in shame at the intensity he was under. "Tooru," Iwaizumi said softly, lifting one hand and placing it on Oikawa's face. He used his thump to brush away the tears that Oikawa couldn't seem to stop, no matter how hard he tried. "Listen to me. No one on the team blames you for anything. We are all disappointed, yes. But we have another shot."

"Entrance exams-"

"Don't think for one moment I didn't know you were planning on staying on the team," Iwaizumi cut him off as his mouth twitched upwards. "And I'm not going anywhere. Neither are Mattsun or Makki. We can do this, Tooru. Give it another chance."

Oikawa let his eyes move toward his alpha. Iwaizumi was staring down at him with intensity burning in his eyes. The alpha leaned down slowly and brushed his lips over Oikawa's. Oikawa arched up into the touch. "Come on, Tooru. Say that we'll do it. Say we'll go to Nationals this spring."

Oikawa took a deep breath. "We'll go to Nationals in the Spring," he whispered.

Staring up into his alpha's earnest face, he almost believed it.


End file.
